All Creatures Great and Small

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all
~Cecil Frances Alexander

Ever since I was small, I have loved animals of every shape and size.  Now that I'm an adult, I still love them, and I can have my own small menagerie.  My current lot of critters consists of 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (family dogs, and not technically mine per say), 5 parakeets, 3 rats, 2 fire bellied toads, 2 guppies, 4 platies, and a chinese algae eater.  These guys constantly have me laughing, worrying, or scratching my head over their antics. And so, I have decided to share them with you.  Sadly, my camera is not working tonight, but I will have pictures of them all up soon.  In the meantime, here are names and descriptions to be placed with pictures later.

The Dogs:

Daisy is a 16 year old Cavalier Spaniel mix (we think), and the love of my life.  I found this delightful, happy girl 13 years ago outside my Jr High.  After about a week with my family, we finally located her actual owners and returned her to her home.  A month later, the family called us and asked if we would like to take her.  While not being the brightest flower in the bunch, Daisy is a happy go lucky little girl who, despite her age, bounces around the house everyday looking for a treat, a belly rub, or some mischief to get into.

Bailey is a 7 year old Cav, and a ginormous baby.  We got him for my mom when he was 7 months old, and sometimes he still thinks he's that tiny puppy.  Bailey loves anything with a squeaker, and other random objects he thinks are "his," like utility rope, stuffed animals, and the occasional shoe.  He hates raspberries (the mouth noise, not the food....) and being locked out of bedrooms at night.

The Birds:

Silarya (aka Aria) is the start of my collection.  We found this gorgeous girl wandering the streets, and were unable to locate an owner.  Being a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, I gave her the elvish name Silarya which translates to shining day.  You'll see why when you see her feathers.  I'm also a musician, so I have short nicknames for all my birds that are music related.

Tuilindo (aka Maestro) was bought as a companion for Aria.  He's a pretty little green parakeet, and he and Aria are pretty much inseparable.  Tuilindo is elvish for spring singer.

Lone (aka Sfortzando) was given to me by an acquaintance along with his friend Forte because the birds were occupying the room which was to become their baby's room.  He is a pretty little turquoise and white bird.  Lone is elvish for deep pool, of which his turquoise color reminded me.

Lindoroma (aka Forte) is Lone's sister, and definitely the loudest of the bunch.  She is Lone's twin in every way, including color and volume.  In fact, her elvish name means loud little singing bird.  She's the first one up in the morning and the last one asleep at night.

Quessanulla (aka Coda) is the last of my birds....for now.  He's a pretty grey parakeet, which is exactly why I got him.  His elvish name means dusky feather, and that's exactly what he is.  Unfortunately he is the odd man out in my little flock of birds, but the cage I have now would be crowded with another bird.  I am in the process of looking for a bigger cage for my feathered friends, so if anyone has a cage large enough to house 6 parakeets, let me know!

The Rats:

Donna, Rose, and River are definitely my favorite of my own personal critters (so not the dogs).  Rats just have so much life and curiosity.  I have owned close to a dozen rats due to their short life spans and always keeping multiple at a time.  I did have one girl, Circe, live to be about 5, and I was heart-broken when she finally died.  Anyway, my three girls now are all named after Dr Who characters.  I did have a 4th, Martha, but sadly she died several months back.  Donna is the oldest, and sadly on her last legs.  Rose is the middle child, and definitely the spunkiest.  River is my newest little girl, and still a bit skittish.

The Fish Tank:

I have a 10 gallon tank that is 1/2 full and partially land.  In here I have 2 fire bellied toads (Trevor and Oscar) and some small fish.  This is the newest addition to my collection, and the tank has been up and running for almost 2 months.  Everyone gets along great.

So there's a short introduction to my zoo.  I will post pictures of everyone soon.  Let the fun begin!